Aeroplane



@ct'.28,193o;' A, ROBER Y 1,780,043

- AEROPLANE Filed Dec. 11, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet i Oct. 28, 1930. ROBER 1,780,043

' AEROPLANE Filed Dec. 11', 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IHHIIIIHIHIIHIHII] S INVENTOR ATTORNEY A. ROBER Oct. 28, 1930.

AEROPLANE Filed Dec. 1-1, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 F7 6 70 w mv A INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESS A. ROBER Oct. 28, 1930..

AEROPLANE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- nn ron BOB-ER, or urnwaminn, WISCONSIN AEROPLANE Application filed December 11, 1929. Serial No. 413,323.

I This invention relates to aeroplanes and more particularly to a plane embodying a novel arrangement of propellers for propelling the plane and for lifting of the plane from the ground surface at the beginning of a flight. I

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby an auxiliary supply of I ence will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts'throughout the several views and in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the aeroplane embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the aeroplane. 7 Figure 4 is a front elevation of the aeroplane, parts being shown in section.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view illustrating the manner of mounting the double propellers and the means for transmitting motion thereto.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken in a plane at right angles to the plane of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through-the mid portion of the aeroplane. V

Figure 8 is a detail view in side elevation illustrating a control means for the lifting propeller of the aeroplane.

The body of the plane, indicated by the numeral 1, is of the general form shown in the drawings, and includes the usual landing wheels 2, and the tail skid 3, the propellers for driving the aeroplane being indicated bay 7 the numerals .4 and 5 and being mounte driven and controlled by means which will now be described.

which is fixed upon and rotatable with a Thepropellers are mounted upon a shaft 6, the propeller blades 4 radiating from a hub 7 which is rotatable with the shaft 6 and the propeller blades 5 radiate from a hub 8 sleeve 9 which in turn rotatably fits the shaft 6. A gear casing 10 is mounted at the front of the body of the aeroplane and a pinion 11 is fixed upon the rear portion of the shaft 6, and meshes with a gear 12, which is driven from the shaft13 of a multi-cylinder engine 14, the cylinders of which 'are arranged radially about the said shaft 13, and in rear of the propellers, the power being transmitted by way of a clutch 15 of ordinary design which may be shifted by movement of a rock lever 16 connected by a rod 17 leading to a hand lever 18 mounted u on the fore part of the body and in front of a pilots seat 19., a number of other seats 20 being arranged within the body atopposite sides thereof to accommodate passengers. The numeral 21 indicates a bevel gear which is fixed upon the sleeve 19 within the gear casing 10 and the numeral 22 indicates another. bevel gear which is arranged opposite the gear 21 and which is fixed upon the shaft 6, and-,stub shafts 23 are mounted in-the walls of the gear casing and bevel pinions 24 are freely rotatably mounted on the stud shafts and in mesh with the gears 21 and 22, so that, in the operation of the engine, rotary motion is imparted to the shaft 6 in one direction, to rotate the propeller comprising the blades 4 in one" direction, and the other propeller comprising the blades 5 is rotated in the opposite direction, inasmuch as it is mounted upon the sleeve 9 which sleeve is rotatable about the shaft 6 as previously stated. c

1 In addition to the propellers embodying the blades 4 and 5, the invention contemplates .a propeller mechanism embodying blades of the aeroplane, a bevel gear 27 is fixed upon likewise mounted .upon the under side the lower end of the shaft and is in mesh with a bevel gear 28, also located within said casing, the latter gear being mounted upon the rear end of the shaft 29 which is also mounted at its forward end'in'a bearing 30,

the top of the aeroplane body, a pinion 31 being fixed upon the for ard end of the said shaft 29 and meshing wit a gear 32 upon a shaft gine shaft 6tlirou h the medium of a clutch 4 34 of conventional orm and which clutch may be controlled by a rocker arm 35, a cable 36 1 connected thereto and a hand'lever 37 to which the cable is connected a spring 38 nor.- mally holding the shiftable member of the clutch in engagement, with the fixed part thereof. a

The shaft 25 is provided with a substantially helical thread 39 extending from a point above its lower end'to a point near its upper end, and the numeral 40 indicates the hub of the propellerand the blades are indicated by the numeral 41. The hub of the propeller is interiorly threaded, and it will now be apparent that when rotary motion is imparted to the shaft,'the lower end of the thread 39 engaging in the thread in the bore of the hub, the propeller will rise along the shaft 25 until it strikes the cushioning spring 42 mounted at the u per end of the shaft and held in place by an a utment plate 42, and a nut 44. By reference to Figure 3 it will be observed that the propeller, when not in use, is housed within a. shallow housing 45 provided in the top of the body of the aeroplane and that the shaft is locatedsubstantially at the longitudinal middle of the body.

v The planes of the aeroplane are indicated by thet numeral 46 and these planes are hollow as will be observed by reference to Figure 4, so as to contain a reserve supply of gasoline,

and the planes extend in opposite directions from the top of the aeroplane body and are braced by tubular braces 47 which lead from the under sides of the planes 46, downwardly and placed in communication with the opposite sides of the said tank 49 at the top thereof, by pipes 52 and:a fuel supply pipe 53 is led from a point near'the bottom of the tank 49 and through the top of the said tank and upwardly to a fuel pump 54 of conventional form and driven by gearing 55,from the shaft 6, a supply pipe 56 being provided for conducting the fuel from the said pump to the carburetor of the engine, which carburetor is indicated by the numeral 57. The cylinders of the multi-cylinder engine indicated by the numer al 58, are supplie with. the combustible gas" by pipes leading mounted as at 60 for lateral swinging move bles,

and being so connected therewith as to be ment so as to steer the aeroplane toward the right or left; Cables 61 are connected to the o po'site sides of the rudder 59 and are led a out pulleys 62 and 63 to the steering wheel 64 the post of which, indicated by the numeral 65, is in the usual manner, mounted for forward and rearward tilting and it will be understood at this point that the rudder 59 maybe adjusted by rotating the said wheel. 33 which is adapted to be clutched with the en- T he elevator is indicated by the numeral 66 and the same is hingedly mounted at its forward side as at 67 to a rearward extension 68 of the top of the aeroplane body and a strut 69 which is extended from the elevator above and below the same, and upper and lower caindicated by the numerals 70 and 71 are securedto the opposite sides of the elevator and pass over the ends of the struts and about the pulleys 72 which are conveniently mounted and thence led downwardly about pulleys 73 mounted beneath the floor 50, these cables being led from the pulleys 73 (not shown) mounted on the same shaft as the pulley 61 slackened in the forward or rearward tilt of the post 65.

7 Due to this arrangement, the rotor and elevator are at all times under control of the pilot and in a position in front of the seat 19 to enable him to readily operate the same.

The top of the aeroplane and the wings 46 are recessed at opposite sides of the shaft 25 as indicated by the numeral 74 and as illustrated in Figure 2 and pivotally mounted, for swinging movement at their outer sides, in respective ones of the recesses 74, as indicated 'b the numeral 74, are wings 76 which are at in form as best shown in Figure 7, and which" are normally held in the full line position shown in this figure by the tension of cables 77. which are connected to them at their inner ends, these cables being led about pulleys 78 and being wound upon adrum 79 mounted at any appropriate place within reach of the pilot, the drum being mounted upon a shaft 80 and having fixed, with respect for engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 81 when projected through the manipuv lation of a hand grip 84 connedted in the usual manner therewith. Back and forth swinging of the hand lever will serve to exert a pull upon the cables 78 and thus lower the winlgs 76 to'the positions shown in full lines in igure 7 and, if it should be desired to elevate these wings to the'broken line positions shown in the said figure, so as to permit the flowof air upwardly through. the wings of the aero lane, adjacent their 'juncturewith the body 0 the aeroplane, this may be accomplished by pressing upwardly against a hand 1 knob 84 provided at the lower "end of a rod 1 85 which is connected at its upper end to an arm 86 extending at right angles from a pawl 87, which is engageable with the ratchet wheel 81, a coil spring 88 bearing upon the arm 86 and normally holding the same in engagement with the ratchet wheel.

In order that the brakes 89 for the landing wheels 2 may be applied, a brake lever 90 is connected with each brake and a rod 91 extends between the said levers 90 and is connected at its upper end to an angle lever 92 mounted in the front of the body of the aeroplane, and the other arm of the angle lever being provided with afoot pedal 93 which constitutes the brake lever of the aeroplane.

Preferably the planes 46 are formed in their under sides with a plurality of parallel channels for the passage of air currents to cool the gasoline stored in the planes.

What I claim is 1. In an aeroplane, the combination with the fuselage, of planes radiating with respect to the fuselage, and extending from opposite sides thereof substantially at the top of the fuselage, each plane being recessed in its side, which is connected with the fuselage, and a hollow wing mounted inthe recess of each plane and adjustable to occupy the same plane as the planes and an upwardly extending position to provide for an up draft of the air through the planes, means manually operable to provide for upward movement of the wings and for lowerin of the wings to normal position, and a li ing propeller comprising a shaft rotatably mounted in vertical position and extending upwardly from the fuselage between the wings, a hub fitted to the, shaft, the shaft having a helical thread and the hub having helical grooves to engage the thread of the shaft, and means for imparting rotary motion to the said shaft, blades radiating from the hub in a substantially horizontal plane, and means for imparting rotary motion to the shaft whereby to, initially, effect upward movement of the propeller hub, and the blades carried thereby, along the shaft through the engagement of the threads and grooves of the shaft and hub, and whereby to effect positive continu ous rotary motion of the hub and the blades carried thereby, when the propeller hub is at the upper end of the shaft.

2. In an aeroplane, the combination with the fuselage, of planes radiating with respect to the fuselage, and extending from opposite sides thereof substantially at the top of the fuselage, each plane being recessed in its side, which is connected with the fuselage, and a hollow wing mounted in the recess of each plane and adjustable to occupy the same plane as the planes and an upwardly extending position to provide for an up draft of the air through the planes, means manually operable to provide for upward movement of the wings, and for lowering of the wings to along the shaft through the engagement of I the threads and grooves and, whereby to effect positive continuous rotary motion of the hub and the blades carried thereby, and a buffer spring at the upper end of the said shaft for engagement by the hub in the upward movement of the hub along the shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

- ANTON ROBER. 

